Adaptation into a Game: Involvement and Presence in Four Different PC-Games

Abstract

This study examines psychological adaptation in four different game-worlds. The concept of adaptation is used to describe the way the players willingly form a relationship with the physical and social reality provided by the game. It is measured by using a model consisting of two psychologically relevant constructs: involvement and presence. These constructs and the seven measurement scales measuring them have been factor-analytically extracted in a large (n=2182 subjects) data collected both via the Internet and in the laboratory. Several background variables were also studied to further understand the differences in players’ adaptation. The results showed different adaptation profiles among the four studied games. They also showed the challenges related to measure such multidimensional constructs. Especially, the difference in the nature of the presence in each game would have left unnoticed if only simple measures had been used. Thus, the need for multivariate measurement of game adaptation is emphasized in order to gain full advantage of the concept in future game design. Author Keywords